According to the new Newsweek, Rogers recently invited some students from a local cooking school to talk to the White House head chef — as well as the First Lady — as the staff prepared the Obamas' first state dinner. Rogers will also work with the art collection in the House; she says:

"There is a wonderful collection of art, but what's missing is modern art. And also we'd like to see more diversity of the artists themselves-more women artists, more African-American artists, more Hispanic artists, artists of American-Indian descent, Asian-Americans."

And regular people may have a chance to be in the presidential mansion as well: Last week, Rogers told the Washington Post that she's interested in creating an Internet lottery, where a "lucky winner" will get a seat at a White House dinner or event. Rogers is also getting ideas from Sasha and Malia Obama — opinions on the Easter Egg Hunt, for instance. Plus, there was a Wii at the Super Bowl party, because the girls like playing with the Wii.

Having those who previously would not have been invited to the White House is not only part of Rogers' philosophy, but that of the Obamas, of course — "They understand what it means to feel like you've been left out," Rogers says. Still, she knows that her position — as a kind of gatekeeper — has made her very popular, very suddenly. She tells WaPo that people are not being subtle about wrangling an invitation to the House: "I'm a very direct, kind of honest person. So, if you want it, you just say it, and we'll see what we can do. I mean, I can't accommodate everyone, but people, they want to be here."

The Busiest Woman in Washington [Newsweek]
Managing the Highest-Profile Social Scene, Voices of Power: White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers (transcript) , Voices Of Power: Desiree Rogers, Obama's White House CEO (video) [WaPo]

The White House Social Secretary isn't just in charge of making appointments — she is (and, in recent times, it's always a she, although rarely a woman of as much prominence as Rogers) in charge of everything about every public event the President and First Lady do — from state dinners to the Easter Egg Roll to the Christmas parties and everything in between. And if that's still not enough for you to think that this her job is on a par with the other work she's done, think about it this way: she's got to know every bit of protocol for every state dinner; make every guest list and every seating chart; coordinate security; choose menus; find entertainment; and satisfy every single person involved. Events at the White House are on a giant and extremely formal scale, and it's not something you turn over to a 20-something event coordinator who is good at small parties. If you've ever tried to plan a massive, security-cleared social event for people so important they get security details (and I have), then you know it's backbreaking, exhausting, tedious work at which incredibly detail-oriented and (relatively) cheerful people tend to excel — if only because when you're done busting a hump to plan the event, you then get to put on a nice outfit and smile and pretend like you don't notice the waiter inadvertently serving the soup from the wrong side.

On top of that, unlike the current White House occupants, who tend to be homebodies, the Obamas have said they want to be a part of Washington, and to have even more social events open to the public. In an interview with the Washington Post, Rogers said she is committed to doing events with kids and more interactive events to allow more people access to the public side of the White House — which would, in effect, make her the Obama's PR person in addition to her more formal duties.

All in all, Rogers is in for quite the wild ride in Washington — and, if you want to be part of the social scene at the White House, she's the person to know. Two tips to Rogers from a D.C. type: everyone calls one another "friends" here in Washington, even when you've met twice; and I have formal etiquette training, always use the right fork and am available at the drop of your hat if you need a seat filler.

Friend Of The Obamas To Be Social Secretary [Washington Post]
For New Social Secretary, Life In The Fast Lane [Washington Post]

Related: First Lady's Photo, October 2007 [White House]